Exploring the Social Innovation Research Field Based on a Comprehensive Bibliometric Analysis

Agnieszka Janik,Adam Ryszko,Marek Szafraniec

doi:10.3390/joitmc7040226

Abstract

Due to the growing academic interest in social innovation, there is a need for a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of the structure and evolution of this research field. So far, there have been very few in-depth studies in this area. In addition, the number of publications in this domain grows dynamically year by year. For this reason, it was assumed that the existing research needs expansion and updating. Therefore, this study presents a comprehensive bibliometric analysis aiming to identify research patterns and trends in the scientific literature on social innovation. Descriptive and performance analyses as well as research field mapping based on network analyses were performed. The most productive authors, sources, academic organizations, and countries in the social innovation literature were indicated. Moreover, the most influential authors and publications in the analyzed research field were determined. Furthermore, the evolution of social innovation research and the scientific collaboration in this area were shown and characterized. The analysis results were intended to show academics and practitioners an up-to-date, comprehensive picture of the multidisciplinary and multifaceted phenomenon of the research on social innovation.

Highlights

The concept of social innovation has gained increased attention among researchers, policymakers, and practitioners in recent decades
Social innovation can be characterized from different perspectives, research fields, and levels of analysis
The growing academic interest in social innovation means that there is a need for a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of the structure and evolution of the social innovation research field

Summary

Introduction

The concept of social innovation has gained increased attention among researchers, policymakers, and practitioners in recent decades It was introduced as an analytical concept by the academic community and has spread as a normative notion powered by development and innovation policies [1]. According to Drucker, ‘social innovation goes back almost two hundred years’ [2] It was mentioned in academic publications at the beginning of the 20th century, e.g., [3,4,5]. Social innovation can be characterized from different perspectives, research fields, and levels of analysis It has different meanings across various disciplines, cultures, sectors, and countries [1,12,13], which makes it difficult to understand and analyze systematically within an explicitly defined framework [14,15,16]. It can be treated as a separate category of innovation (i.e., based on differences between social innovation and technological innovation) [17] and as a new innovation paradigm [18]

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